Numerous applications exist where the regulation of fluid flow through an orifice is required. Such applications can be relatively basic such as containing a fluid in an enclosure until it is intended for some use while others can be complicated such as in an apparatus or process used in a medical, industrial or automotive application, just to name a few. The typical name for a component which regulates fluid flow is a valve and nearly all valves have two principal functions. The first function is stop fluid flow through an orifice without causing any leakage past the valve and the second function is to allow the liquid to flow freely through the orifice upon actuation of the valve.
Traditionally, the regulation of fluid flow has been accomplished using various valve designs. A number of known valve designs include, ball valves, poppet valves, flapper valves, duckbill valves and umbrella valves. Valves of these types have a common feature in that they restrict fluid flow until the fluid pressure reaches a sufficiently high value to deform part of the valve or to move the valve away from the orifice through which the fluid flows. In the case of an umbrella valve or flapper valve, fluid reaches a high enough pressure to deform the flaps of the umbrella or flapper portion and fluid flows through holes in the container wall. In the case of a duckbill valve a portion of the valve pinches together to close the valve until the fluid reaches a high enough pressure to open the pinch point and then fluid flows through the valve itself. In the case of a ball valve or poppet valve an obstructing portion of the valve seats against the orifice until the fluid pressure is high enough to displace the ball, or spring loaded ball from the orifice.
Valves of the type where liquid pressure actuates the valve to allow fluid flow often suffer from limitations in their ability to seal an orifice from leakage and are, by design, not able to stop fluid flow under some critical level of fluid pressure. A further limitation of the known valve designs is that fluid can only flow past or through the valve in the one direction that the fluid is moving.
One application where the valve of the present invention is particularly useful is in the case of an ink container for an inkjet printer. An ink container must hold ink within the container without leakage during periods of storage and shipping even when the fluid within the chamber experiences substantial changes in pressure. At the same time, the ink container must have an orifice through which ink can be delivered to the printhead during the printing operation. Additionally, an ink container can be installed and removed a number of times from the printer during its useful lifetime and a means for rapidly disconnecting and reconnecting the container without loss of contents or function of the container would be beneficial.
There remains a need for a valve that can regulate flow fluid through an orifice whereby the valve permits an excellent seal for the orifice so that no liquid leaks around or through the valve until the valve is actuated to allow fluid flow through the orifice. Additionally, there is a need for a valve which can be repeatedly and quickly actuated in a simple manner thereby allowing fluid to flow easily through an orifice.